


Little Miss Danish Refugee

by AlexanderTemple



Category: Original Work
Genre: Children, Europe, Fear, Muslim - Freeform, On the Run, Refugee, War, christian - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2021-01-26 20:17:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21379981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexanderTemple/pseuds/AlexanderTemple
Summary: Europeans sometimes complain about refugees. This story changes everything and looks at what happens if there was war in Europe, and Europeans were refugees





	1. War

I love when mom brushed my hair. It was no exception today. The weekend was over and school was the next day. I liked the school, so that was good. For the moment, It was just me and mom. She talked about how she hoped I had a good weekend, I smiled at her and said that it was fun. We went to the park and visited the Church where we prayed. At home, we painted which was great fun.

My name is Lila, and I was 10 years old when this all happened. I was born in Denmark, which boasts to be the happiest country in the world. We also supposed to have one of the best living standards in the world. I suppose this meant that we had everything that we needed. Besides that, Denmark was also known as a welfare state. This meant that no one was hungry or did not have a roof over their heads. The government helped people when they were in need.

So as a 10-year-old girl, I was a typical Dane. My dad was a doctor and mom was a nurse. They were the best parents anyone could wish for. We lived in a nice house and I had enough clothes, teddy-bears, and toys.

The best thing was that despite my parents had busy jobs, they always had time for me. Dad always called me princess and mom said that I was the best thing that ever happened to her. Of course, I got in trouble. Mom or Dad never spanked me or something like that. They could yell at me and get mad, Usually, they would sit and explain what I have done was wrong and how I could act in the future.

Mom asked me questions about school when she was brushing my hair. She asked how my friends were and if the classes were too hard. She asked about the teachers and what we played. She tried to avoid speaking about the war.

There was, of course, no war in Denmark. It has been 70 years since we were at war. However, the news was full of a war that could happen in Europe. Denmark did not want a war with anyone, but it just seemed like Russia was very mad at Europe. Mom explained why Russia was mad, but I understood very little about it. In fact, I understood very little about the war.

I asked mom if she thought there would be a war. The TV was full of war news and showed the military waiting for something to happen. I could see a tear come in mom's eye, as she explained that politicians were doing as much as they could to avoid war. However, both sides could be so stubborn, that they could not see that there are options.

Mom told me that she missed Dad. He was called in by the military and had to work in military hospitals. If there was a war, he would see the worse side of the war. She wiped away her tears as she told me it would be sometime before he came home.

I had so many questions. I asked what war was like. Mom told me that she did not want to disuses that now. She told me to enjoy my childhood and let the adults talk about such matters. She tucked me in bed and suggested that we prayed for peace and that Dad would come home soon.

The next day at school was pretty normal, except everyone was talking about the war. Some were saying bad things about Russians like how evil they were. I did not respond to this as I thought that in some Russian schools, they were calling us evil. I never spoke with a Russian before. I am sure that if I did speak with a Russian girl my age, that we could be friends!

The teacher was also a bit strange. She told us that sometimes war was the only answer as we had to protect our countries, our identity, and traditions. As Danish people, we did not want to be Russian slaves. The teacher said that any war would be short, as NATO was very powerful and it would not take a lot of effort for us to kick Russian ass. The only thing I understood with her is that a war will be short and we should be proud of being Danish.

I rose my hand and asked what war was like.

The teacher took the Danish flag and said it is like two school children fighting. One child is the bully but the other child has God on his side. The bully will always loose. She told us that we have God on our side. Russia will be sorry if they went to war against us!

Everyone clapped except me. She really did not answer my question.

During the lunch break, the boys were all playing war. Jacob was a boy in my class that liked to follow me around everywhere. Now he thought it was interesting chasing me around with a toy rifle. He shouted that I was Russian and needed to die. At first, I thought it was annoying to be a Russian, but then I pounced on him and knocked him to the ground. I told him to give up, but he wouldn't. So I tickled him until he wet his pants. This meant that the game was over. Jacob was so humiliated that he ran into the school telling me I broke the rules of the game.

When we were inside, the teacher told us all to be silent. She said that it was important that we all went straight home. Russian talks have broken down and they have attacked Europe. This meant that Denmark was at war. The teacher said the school would be closed until the war was over. She also reminded us that we were the good guys.

Jacob and I started walking home as quick as possible. On the way home, we saw Danish military vehicles pass us. We waved to them and shouted that we hoped that they won the war. Jacob was in a better mood than me. He kept on saying that school is closed. I was still worried about what war was like. I was also worried about my Dad. He was now a doctor in the military, so he would be close to where the soldiers killed each other.

A girl from our class called Grace caught up to us. She was my best friend. She could see that I was worried, "Do not worry," She said, "It will take Russia a lot of time to come this far in Denmark. They won't attack us, they will attack Copenhagen first. Then NATO will come and save us from being Russian slaves."

I gave Grace a big hug and told her that I hoped she was right.

When I came home, Mom was already there. She was putting a black sheet on the windows when I came in the door. She said it was so Russian bombers could not see that we were home. She already packed a few bags. I was so confused. Why did she pack bags and why did she look so worried?

Later that night, I snuggled in mom's bed. She told me that things will be different now. Wars were not good. She said many people would die and buildings would be destroyed. There may not be enough food and we may not have things like water or electricity. I did not know what to say. This all seemed so impossible and adult-like. I could not see why governments could not find a peaceful solution.

"Will we all be destroyed by nuclear bombs?" I asked

" That is a possibility. However as stupid as the leaders are at going to war, I would think that an atomic war would be their last wish."

Then mom started crying and saying that I was too young to be in the middle of a war that no one understood. I gave her a hug and told her that we were good people. Good people end up as winners. Besides that, I did not need water or electricity or food. We still had each other! As long as we had each other, we would survive.

Mom smiled and told me to get some sleep. She was watching the news on TV, as Russian troops were advancing through Europe at an astonishing rate. It showed pictures of Copenhagen being bombed and people running all over the place. I felt sorry for them. While mom and I had a comfortable bed, their houses were being bombed. Then the TV suddenly went off. We have lost our electricity.

The next day, when I woke up, Mom was in a good mood. She made a big breakfast and told me to eat as much as I can. She said that we would forget that there was a war and just enjoy the day as we have done many times before. We were going to visit the shops.

I do not know why I have done it, but I took my teddy-bear with me. Most likely it was just to give me some security. As we walked downtown, we noticed that many people were in cars. Mom told me that many were leaving the city. I wondered why we did not. The answer I got was where would we go? We also had to be here when Dad came home.

All the shops were closed. The streets were empty. I could see Mom's worried face once again, but after thinking a while, she said that it was a long time since we went to the park. So we did this.

Grace was there with her mother and little brother. So the two parents sat down on a bench and started talking. As for me, I played with Grace and her little brother for an hour. I soon forgot everything about the war as we had the whole park to ourselves. We went from the swings to the monkey bars and the things that go around. We were soon laughing and having fun.

Then we heard some large noises as they were far away. A few planes flew above us. Mom came and took my hand and said the Russians were now bombing us. We needed to find somewhere safe to be. She told us that the hospital where she worked had underground tunnels that would protect us from the bombs

Alarms started to ring loudly. Mom explained these alarms were a message to find some safe place to be. So Grace and her family and my mother and I made our way to the hospital. I clenched on to my teddy bear as the bombing sounds became louder and louder. We could see people running through the streets shouting and crying. Everyone was so afraid. Mom warned us to be calm. Being in a panic did not help us.

Suddenly the largest noise I ever heard happened. I looked back and could see a corner shop that just was bombed. Bricks and glass were flying through the air. It was hard to think that the shop was there for hundreds of years and suddenly it was gone. Mom held on to my hand and told me that we needed to reach safety.

There were lots of people in the tunnel. We could still hear the alarms outside and the bombings. Mom found a place for us to be. We sat down on the hard ground and just looked around. Some people were injured. There were so many that had blood! Mom found some bandages and told me to stay with Grace and her mom. I looked at mom trying to help these people. I was so proud of her.

No one was smiling. Many were crying or praying. They were all whispering about how things could go so far. One old man stood up and told us all to repent to God, as the day of judgment was here. This was all very scary. The hospital had generators that made light, but at times, these flickered or the whole tunnel went pitch dark. Then it became very scary!

Grace put her arm around me and told me that she was scared. I hugged her tight and admitted that I was scared too. We were in that tunnel all day.

At one stage, Mom told me to get some sleep. I rested my head on her lap and told her that I loved her. As I was falling asleep, I smiled as I heard the alarms stop and for a few minutes, there was silence. This silence was like heaven as it meant nothing was getting destroyed. The people in the tunnel must have thought the same, as everyone clapped because it was silent.

Then the bombings started again, except this time they were closer.

I could not sleep. I was so afraid.


	2. Between Bullets and Death

It was not just me that could not sleep. I could hear people whisper and some trying to console their children. Sometimes, someone would get hysterical and scream and shout. Mom hugged me close telling me that we were safe here. Grace held my hand and squeezed it every time we heard a bomb in the distance. I was thinking that with the number of bombs that were dropped, there was not much left in the city.

Someone turned on a radio and we all listened to the latest news. Russian troops were now fighting in every country in Europe. Denmark was one of the countries that were being hit hard and resisting. The British were the only country that was holding the Russians off. However, they were being bombed. There were many civilian camps outside different cities and a huge Refugee camp was being set up in northern African countries. Different world leaders have refused to use their atomic bombs saying that there was hope. However, the USA has not helped NATO and were still discussing options.

Things looked bad.

"Our lives will change," Mom whispered to me, "Before we had everything we needed and we were proud to be Danes. This war will destroy Denmark and who knows we may be under Russia's control. We will have to start over again and this will be hard. At the same time, we should be thankful that there has been no atom war yet and we will always be Danish in our hearts."

I wanted to cry and wish that this was a bad dream. Mom could see this and told me that we all needed to be brave. I put on my brave smile and told Mom that I was OK. I was just scared, which was true!

After a while, there was silence as there were no bomb noises. I was half asleep when mom shook me and told me to wake up. She said that she needed to go home and get some food and some identity papers, that we will need. She told me to wait here and let Grace's mother take care of me. I did not want mom to go up in the war zone. I did not want her to leave me. Mom had tears in her eyes telling me that she did not want to leave me and that she loved me. I could not put on a brave face as I saw her walk away.

Grace's mother told Grace that she would go up when mom came back. Then we would all go to the camp outside the city and hope that it was safe there.

Some time went and I calculated that mom would be back soon. It did not help that the bombing noises started again and at times we could hear sounds of guns. I was so afraid that something bad happened to mom. How would I survive if the Russians killed her? This made me also think of my Dad. He did not want to kill Russians. He was just helping them that was injured.

War was stupid. It was making me an orphan!

It became silent once again. The only noises were that people were coughing or crying in the tunnel. I kept on looking at the direction mom should have come from. Grace squeezed my hand hard and whispered that she said a prayer for my mom. I smiled at her and said that we would always be best friends. For some reason, Grace started laughing. I asked her how she could laugh at a time like this. She told me that I needed to have a bath, as I was all dirty and my hair was a mess. I started to laugh as well as she did not look better.

Then we heard a man shout for everyone to get out. The Russian soldiers were in the tunnel. I thought the man was a bit strange. I would have guessed that Russian soldiers were everywhere. However, people panicked and started running out of the Tunnel. Grace's mother told me to get up and run. She held my hand and Grace's hand as we started stampeding out of the tunnel. At the time, we could hear noises from guns, that made people run quicker

At some stage when we were running, Grace's mother let go of my hand. I shouted her name and Grace's name. It was no use, as there were so many people, that I was being forced forward by the people. I could not see anything. Being so small, I could only see people's backs. People behind me were forcing me forwards. It was like I was stuck between a mass of bodies.

We were now in the open. I could not believe what I have seen. Buildings were now just ruins and the roads torn apart. Cars were all over the place. There were fires and smoldering smoke and the air smelled. The worse thing was the people that were badly hurt. They were everywhere. There was a choir of injured people moaning and crying and in pain. I could also see the dead bodies. They were the victims of a war that no one wanted.

I looked around for Grace and her mom. They were nowhere to be seen. I walked around and looked everywhere I could. I felt so alone. I could see a lot of people but not anyone I knew. I fell to the floor on my knees and lowered my head in my hands. If I allowed myself, I would have cried for days. However, I knew that it would not help so much. I needed a plan. The best plan was that I would walk home and was sure I would meet mom on the way.

I was alone in the world, but I started the long walk home. I had to smile as I thought that before the war, mom would never let me do this. I kept close to the buildings. A lot of trucks carrying Russian soldiers were driving by. I looked down and just walked and walked. This was hard at the start, as I thought they would shoot me. The worse is when I met Russian soldiers on the way. They would ask me where I was going. They didn't speak Danish, and they spoke a bit of English. It's good we had that at school. At least they understood me when I said that I was looking for my mom. Some soldiers put their hand through my hair and said poor girl.

One soldier told me I should come with them. I started running saying that I needed to find my mom. I ran as fast as my legs could take me. They were obviously not concerned about an unarmed girl, as they were after soldiers that were hiding. In any case, they did not chase me.

I could not see Mom, and I hoped this was the right way home. There was a supermarket that was abandoned. Some people were in it taking what food they could. I went in as I was hungry. It was hard to get food, as when I reached for some food, some old people would shove me away and tell me that get out of the way. I did manage to get some chocolate bars and a few bottles of coke. I stuffed my pockets as far as I could.

As I was walking away from the shop, I heard a huge noise and bricks were flying through the air, a few of them managed to miss my head by a few inches. When I looked back. I could see the shop was bombed. The people in it were dead. I could not stay and help them. I had to find my mom!

I finally came to where our house should be. There was nothing left except stones, wood and smoking furniture. I walked around with tears in my eyes and was more and more afraid for every step I took. A part of me was afraid that mom was in the house when it was bombed. I walked carefully over the stones calling mom's name. I was so afraid I would see her hand poking out of the ground.

I could not think. I sat down on some stones. Why did mom have to leave me just to get some food and papers? What if she was under the house? She made a promise that she would come back and now I was left alone in the world. I wanted to scream that this war was stupid. I wanted to get mad at mom and dad for leaving me. I did not even know if I was an orphan.

This old woman came up to me and asked me if I was OK. I told her that I thought I was an orphan and did not know what to do. She said that I should come with her. There was a civilian camp outside the town, where the new huge mall was planned to be built. She told me I was too young to be alone. She even heard of men that were telling orphans to come with them. I wondered why men would do that. She just said that it was not good for the orphans.

I looked at the women and thought would it be good for me if I went with her. I told her that Grace and her mom would be coming soon, as Mom told them to take care of me. The woman looked confused and was obviously debating with herself if she wanted to use her time on persuading me to come. In the end, she said to find the Civilian camp if I was alone.

When she went, I walked around the ruins. I found a picture of mom and dad and me. It was not burnt or damaged! I also found my school bag. I put the picture in it. I smiled as I thought of when it was taken. We were visiting an old castle that had furniture and all. It was fun seeing how people lived long ago. After that, we walked around in the Castle gardens and had a picnic, where the picture was taken.

I also found my teddy-bear, which I put in the school bag. He was missing a leg. Another victim.

I ate one of the chocolate bars as I started walking towards Grace's house. I was sure they would wait for me. As I walked, it seemed like more and more vans with Russian soldiers were coming. This made me think that we were losing the war and wondered if it was over. I also thought being a soldier must be the worse job ever. How could anyone like anyone ever want to kill another person?

I was surprised that Grace's house was also destroyed. It was such a nice house. I walked around to see if they were sitting someplace. After a while, I found them laying down by the flowerbed.

I shook Grace and told her that I was here, She did not respond. I moved her so she was on her back. She was so dirty and her hair really needed to be brushed. I bet that I looked the same. Then I noticed it. There was blood all over her t-shirt. It was then that I realized that Grace and her mother were dead. I felt like I should have cried, but there were no tears left. I took some flowers and put them on Grace's belly.

It was then that I decided to find the Civilian camp. That was a long way to go. So I said a quick prayer for Grace and her mom and started the long walk.

When I was passing the Church, a man in a car stopped and he told me that he wanted to speak with me. He told me that my mom and dad knew him and his job was to take me to them. I looked in the back of the car. There were two girls that did not look all that happy. Would they not look even a small bit happy if they were to see their parents? Then I noticed that they had handcuffs on. I told the man that mom was inside the Church. It was a lie, but I did not want to go with him.

I started running away from him, and went off the main road and ran down the bicycle paths where he could not drive. I knew he would either keep looking for me or finding another child.

By now I was hungry and very tired. All I did all day was walk and avoid soldiers. They could shoot me at any time. If I was not being shot at, then I was sure that the man would want to kidnap me. All I could hear was people screaming, explosions and gunfire.

In the end, I found the camp. A nurse from the RED CROSS came up to me and spoke with me. I told her everything. She sighed as she heard so many sad stories. She told me to follow her, as I needed some food and a bed, and we needed to find if my mother was there.

I should have felt safe, but I did not!


	3. Having Lost Everything

I finally had some food and a place I could sleep. I was in a big tent with other children that did not have parents. This was sad to see and only reminded me that the war destroyed everything from buildings to families. It was hard to sleep, as so much was rushing through my head. I have seen things that no 10-year-old child should see. My best friend was dead and who knows if my parents were dead. I also have done things that I should not have done. I kept thinking I should have gone back to the shop that was bombed to see if there were anybody alive. Even if I did, I would not know what to do.

I tried to speak with some children in the tent. They all had blank faces and faces that showed no emotion. When a child spoke with me, they would just tell the same story. It would be a story about bombings, shootings, people being killed. The worse was if they said that they seen their parents die. In the end, I did not speak with any. I did not want to be reminded about what happened outside the camp.

I held on to the picture of my family as I thought about what I should do. I could not think about the future. I could only think about now. The only constructive answer I could think of was to trust in God and have hope. It was my job to survive. Things would never be the same again, but they would get better.

It was just not me. The camp was very crowded. Most people just sat in the same place all day while other people walked around like zombies. Everyone here lost everything they had. Their houses, and cars and jobs. There was no school. The shops were gone. Some lost all their families. I could understand why they didn't smile. I showed no emotion in my face.

As I walked around, I thought that life was strange. A week ago, we were one of the richest nations in the world. Now we had nothing left. We even depended on Charity organizations to have a bed and some food.

As I walked, I saw a woman that was on the ground. A man was kicking her. Other men were just staring at the violence while women were begging the man to stop kicking her. After some time, he left the woman alone and the other women tried to take care of her. A big girl that was standing next to me whispered that this happened a lot. People lost the kindness and compassion they had. Now it was only the strong that survived.

I walked around showing people the picture of my mom and dad and asked if anyone had seen them. No one has seen them. I felt awkward asking people as I knew that they have most likely lost a loved one. Most people were just staring at nothing. It was obvious to see that they lost everything in their life. However, I had to move on and try to find someone that seen my parents. As more and more people told me that they have not seen my parents, the more and more unhappy I became and the more convinced I was that my parents were gone. It was becoming more and more obvious that I was an orphan.

I walked by some Russian soldiers, and one of them wanted me to stop. He then started feeling my cheek and telling me how beautiful I was. The soldier was telling me that we could have some fun, so I should go with him. I told him no thanks, but he took my hand and started pulling me, This was not good, I suspected he wanted to hurt me so I started crying and begging for him to leave me alone. Another soldier that was there said the same thing, He told the evil soldier that I was only a child and to let me go. He was still pulling me when a woman interfered and told the soldier to leave me alone. I recognized her. She was Jacobs's mother. He was the boy that followed me everywhere at school and teased me at times. The soldier was mad at this woman's interfering, and I thought he would shoot her. However, he just shouted at us to go back to our beds and he did not want to see me again!

To be quite honest, I was happy when I saw Jacob. He was very annoying at school but he was the only person in this world I knew. As we sat around on some mattresses, I told his mother (Mrs. Jensen) everything about what I experienced in the war. Mrs. Jensen shed a tear when she heard that Grace and her mother were dead, and she said it wasn't the best plan my mom had in leaving me behind. She asked me about grandparents and uncles and aunts. I knew I had them and they lived in another city. The problem was where were they and if they were dead or not.

Mrs. Jensen told me as soon as the bombs started falling, she took Jacob here. At the start, it was a good place as the Russians did not bomb close to it. Now it was overcrowded and things the water and food were getting low. The poor conditions and the hours of doing nothing meant that violence and crime were on the rise, There was no police here and the soldiers often turned a blind eye, and in some circumstances committed acts of crime themselves.

Jacob didn't say a word. He looked like everyone else. He was just a face that was pale and had blank eyes as if they were staring into nothingness. Mrs. Jensen suddenly started crying because she couldn't get that soldier out of her head and what he wanted to do with me. She would not tell me, and that was a blessing as I did not need to know. I knew it was not good.

We could hear another woman shouting for help. No one got up to see what it was. It seemed like these incidents were happening more and more.

Mrs. Jensen told Jacob and me to listen, "The Denmark we know is gone," she whispered, " You know how bad things are here and they are becoming worse. We are no longer safe here. People are being killed every day, some have gone missing and I heard the Russians will be sending us to a concentration camp. No, it is not safe here. A bus will take us to Italy, where we will take a boat to Africa. We will be safe there."

I told her that I could not go, as I had to find my parents. Miss Jensen gave me a hug and told me that I should accept that I am an orphan. At any case, she would protect me until my parents came back into my life... if they came back.

So the next day, we were on an old bus. A Russian soldier was telling us that it was foolish that we were leaving the camp. This was a tense moment for many as the Russians stopped most people from leaving. Mrs. Jensen whispered that it helped American TV stations were there as they made Russians be on their best behavior. The Russians did not want the Americans in the war.

As we went, I thought I heard someone call my name. it Sounded like mom! I looked out the bus window and told Mrs. Jensen. She said it was just my imagination. 

So the bus slowly made its way out of the city, which was an obstacle course. This city was the only one I knew all my life. Now it was just rubble and a smoking hell. Jacob was having difficulty breathing as he saw the devastation. So I gave him my teddy-bear and laid his head against my shoulders as I sang some songs for him.

We finally made it to the highway. This was also bombed, but it was not as bad as the city. It was a long drive to Germany, and even in Germany, you could see the devastation of war. The worse was when I could see dead people. There was just so many that died for something they most likely did not understand

When we were driving through Germany, we were driving in a beautiful place. This was the one place that was not hit by the war. I woke Jacob up and showed him how beautiful it was. This made him smile and we talked about how beautiful things were. It was as if for a while, we totally forgot about the war,

Jacob got serious again and told me that since I was an orphan, and he had no dad, we would be like a brother and sister. This made me cry, as I no longer felt alone. When Jacob asked his mother if she can adopt me, she smiled and said she already done so in her heart. This made me cry even more.

I was tired, so I fell asleep.

When I woke up, there was confusion. Mrs. Jensen told me that I had to get off the bus as it had no fuel. We would have to walk to a small town where we could take a boat over to Africa.

It took us 4 days to walk there, and it was the most I ever walked in my life. It was then that I missed Dad a lot, as I am sure he would carry me on his back. Jacob and I tried to make it easier for each other as we spoke with each other or sang some songs. He was not as annoying as he was when we went to school. He knew some good jokes.

Still, the walking was long, Every muscle in my body was screaming with pain and my legs were like logs. I was filthy and especially my hair was like a spider web. It itched and was in a mess. I would play games with Jacob, like who could not moan or complain for the longest time. This helped very little.

To make things worse, we could here bombings and shooting, The local people would tell us to go home because we were just going to attract the Russians. Other locals would tell us to go home as they did not want to feed or house us. It is a strange feeling when people do not want you or spit on you!

We finally came to a small beach.

Mrs. Jensen was speaking with a man and asking if he would take us across the Mediterranean. He did not smile and looked at us as if we were animals. I do not know what happened, but Mrs. Jensen and the man argued. The more they argued, the more Mrs. Jensen started to cry.

Then she told us that the man said the message they got was only 2 would be on the boat. They never heard that I was adopted along the way. Mrs. Jensen cried and said the Russians were now hunting people down and putting them in concentration camps. She wanted us to be safe, so she told us that Jacob and I would be in the boat. This was hard for Jacob to understand. There was no time to argue as we were put on the small dinghy boat. I read on a sign that it could fit 7 people, but 27 people were on the boat.

Despite being so cramped, it was nicer than walking. All the adults were at the edge of the boat while the children were on the floor in the middle. Every time the boat swayed, I had some knee poking against me. Despite this, I tried to put a brave face on. Jacob was crying because his mom was left behind.

A man told Jacob to shut his mouth or he would be thrown into the water. I squeezed Jacobs's hand and told him to be brave. I said I needed him.

When we were halfways over, the waves started getting wicked and wild. The small engine on the boat went out and we were just being cast from one wave to another. I started feeling sick and dizzy but held Jacobs's hand very hard. I was so afraid as more and more water was in the boat.

The man shouted at Jacob and me to help by using a cup to get water out of the boat. It seemed like a waste of time. A woman holding a small baby fell into the water. No one could save them in the storm. Another old lady panicked and said she would swim to shore. She jumped in the water as well.

The storm did stop and we were just floating about. The man told us we had no engines or oars.

It was now up to God if we would be saved.


	4. Our new home

It was hard being on a boat. The boat was being thrust from wave to wave like we were on an endless roller-coaster. We were holding on to what we could and at the same time, I was trying to comfort Jacob that was crying and thinking his life was over. I told him that we did not come this far just to drown in the water. It was hard convincing him. Some people fell in the water and no one could save them. This was a lot to see for my little eyes and I did my best to be selfish and think that I needed to survive. Still, I cried for the people that fell over.

Another problem was the boat was half full of water. Everyone tried scooping water out, but as soon as we scooped water out, more came in. The worse was when some of the older men started talking that some should be thrown overboard, so they would survive. I could see the way they were looking at Jacob, who was crying and most likely annoying them. I held on to his hand and tried to calm him down.

I was amazingly calm for someone that was sure was going to die. The more the boat sank, the more that I thought I would finally be a victim of this war. I wanted to live and survive, but I was very afraid. I was far away from home and the only person I knew was Jacob. I said my final prayers and decided to let the sea decide if it would swallow me or not. I could feel my eyes close all the time.

I was exhausted and hungry and I knew that my body just wanted to collapse and sleep. I knew that if I slept, the men would consider throwing me overboard. Despite this, the more I tried to keep my eyes open, the more that I was losing the fight.

Everything went black.

I was woken by a lot of noise. A large boat had picked us up and I was on the ship's hospital bed. A nurse was telling me that everything was fine. She explained my body was tired and it needed a lot of water. I asked about Jacob. It seems like that she did not understand so I had a small panic, thinking the worse that he was thrown overboard. The nurse told me that I was safe and so was my brother.

As we came onshore, the only thing I noticed was all the cameras and police. I heard one reporter say that we came to the country to have a better standard of living. This made me mad. Did the reported not realize there was a war in Europe and everything that we went through? We all had blankets and did not look our best. We were taken to a big hall, where people from the Red Cross asked us our names and ages and how we got there. Jacob did not say a word. I could see that he was looking for his mom.

We took a bus where we were taken to an asylum center. It was some prefab buildings that were made to a temporary place to put refugees. As we walked in, we were given some things that we would need, like a toothbrush and toothpaste and soap. There were also some second-hand clothes and shoes we could ask for. The important thing was that we got something to eat. It was not Danish food, but it did taste good!

We were put in a room that was supposed to be for 4. We were 9 people. There was a family from Poland and a family from France as well as Jacob and me. This meant that the room was very crowded and we did not understand each other. This small room was a place where we slept and where we would call home.

Jacob did not like it. However, I told him to look at the positive side. There were no Russian soldiers and there were no bombs or shooting. This did not cheer up Jacob, that said that he lost everyone he loved. He was alone in the world. I said nothing to this, as I was in the same situation. I was only a child and knew I had a future. But what would this be? Would I ever have a family or would I ever see Denmark again? Even if I did see Denmark again, it would be a country that was destroyed.

We got used to life at the Asylum center. There was nothing Danish or European about it. It was a Muslim country so we lived in the middle of them. In a way, it was easier for Jacob and me. We were much better than adults at learning their language and customs. The food didn't bother me, or the fact that there was someone calling people to prayers on a high-speaker 5 times a day. I didn't think it was bad that the women there were dressed so their bodies and faces were covered. I figured it was their way of life.

New refugees came all the time and people complained about this. They complained that more and more were crammed into the prefab buildings. This also could be good. One good thing was that Jacobs's mother showed up at the camp one day. She kept her promise and somehow found her way across the sea. Jacob was now happy as he had his mother. We were moved to her room. Where there were 11 people!

I must admit that I was jealous of Jacob! He was not an orphan and did not lose everything. This made me often cry at night wondering if my parents were dead and wondering could I do anything to save them. I also thought about mom thinking that I was still in Denmark. If she was alive, she would not know that I was here. In fact, if she was alive, she would most likely think that I was dead.

I kept thinking that if mom or dad was alive. Were they searching for me?

Living at the asylum center was depressing. It was crowded and adults were often sad or worried. They had too much time and this led to lots of arguing and fighting. A lot of adults and children had mental problems as well. I suppose who could blame them. We have seen horrors that. In a way, children were lucky as we went to a local school during the day. I had to cover my head and wear a long dress. The school was not like the one I knew. We repeated a lot of things. The other children were nice and wanted to know what Denmark was like and how I liked their country. I was never invited home to their houses. I did not mind this, as school was when I could be a normal child,

As you can see, I felt overall safe in this new country, Yes, we lived in what many would call inhumane conditions and the adults were often mad at each other. This being said, I could sleep and not worry about war. This country was safe, However, I always knew it was not my country, I felt like an outsider, I was not born in this country. I had to learn their language and customs.

When we saw the news on TV, we could see politicians fighting about refugees. They thought we were costing too much money and we were not like them. Some said we just wanted to have a better living standard than what we had and some said we wanted to convert them to Christians. The common thing was they did not like us and wanted us out of the country.

Jacobs's mother told us not to pay attention to the news. The politicians were afraid of what influence we would have in their country. They did not know us. They did not realize that every refugee had talents that could help their country. She said fear was a bad thing.

One day while I was in the playground playing with some girls, I heard my name being called out. At first, I did not pay much attention to it. However, I kept hearing my name being called and it was becoming louder and louder. Before I knew it, this woman was giving me a hug. It was mum! I thought I must be dreaming. Out of all the countries, she could be and all the asylum camps... she was here!

Mom told me that she thought I was dead. She searched the tunnels for a long time and then the town. She was sure she saw me driving away in a bus in the camp outside town and tried calling my name. She was sure it was me. She traveled down through Europe and ended up here, She was sure I was dead and if I was alive, I could be anywhere.

So I moved into Mom's room. This was one of the happiest days of my life!

It was hard for mom. She was a nurse and a very intelligent woman. However, she found the customs and the language impossible. This made me an adult in many ways. When we spoke to someone from the government about asylum, I had to translate everything. When mom had to go to the doctor, I had to translate. This made mom feel helpless. She also was frustrated when someone told her that she needed a husband as she could not be alone.

Even when we went to the local town, people looked at us in a strange way. This made us feel like outsiders and not wanted in the country. Sometimes someone would call us names and tell us to go home. This was all confusing for me, as I could not understand how people could hate us and not know us.

The worse thing was our room. There were two families and this made mom think a lot about Dad, She did not like that we had no privacy. We often had to listen to the others fighting over something. It was like we were intruders and had to listen to all their problems.

Despite this all, mom tried to smile as much as she could. She told us we can be private in other places and the important thing is that we were together.

The government refused our asylum, saying that there was no reason why we should stay in the country. They said there was no proof I was mom's daughter. This made mom mad. She said that if Dad was here, we would be allowed to stay. They did not like the fact that no man was there to take care of us.

We were moved to another center that was an old prison. It was for people that could not stay in the country and had to go sometime. It was a dirty place. It was more crowded and there was absolutely nothing to do. It was not that bad for me, I was allowed to go to school still. But it was bad for mom. She said it was like living in a prison. She could not decide anything anymore. We were told what to do and what to eat. The place smelled and the air was funny like it was 100 years old. This meant a lot of people were often sick. 

It seemed popular for the government to make living conditions for refugees harder. One thing was that mom had to wear the clothes that the Muslims wore all the time. She had to keep her face covered. This annoyed her as she would have liked to have a choice. She said it was discriminating. The answer she got that if we were guests in their country, we would have to follow their customs.

The best news we heard was that the war in Europe was over. I did not understand the details, the US was about to enter the war, and the Russians did not want this. So a deal was made that the Russians withdrew. It was good news that the war was over, but Europe was in ruins. The Denmark we knew was gone. There was a new Danish government but that was all. The country was bombed to bits and thousands had no homes and even food was scarce. Mom said we would starve to death if we returned.

So we stayed at the Asylum center as more and more laws were passed that made our lives worse. The worse thing was when I was told that I would no longer be allowed to go to school. So I was stuck at the center all day. This made me think at times that starving in Denmark could have been a good alternative.

I soon became sick, but the doctor only came by once a month. At first, it is like I had a cold and then it developed to the flu. I had to lay in a room with everyone else. There was no peace, Mom said it was the center that made me sick. The other children in our room also became sick. So we laid down all day as our mothers tried to take care of is as much as possible. Slowly my condition worsened and this worried mom. I did not want to eat or drink. After a week or so, I was sleeping most of the time and could not even move,

When the doctor came, he told mom I had to go to the hospital. They told me that I did not wake up for a week. When I did, I got the second happy shock of my life. The doctor in the hospital taking care of me was Dad!

When I was feeling better, Dad had a talk with mom and me. He told us that we can stay in the country. However, he wanted to go home. Denmark was in ruins, and he thought we had a duty to rebuild the country. He told us it would not be easy. In fact, we would have a very hard life. This being said, we were Danes and our country needed us.

I did not care where we were, we were a family again!

The end.

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